Which Homeowners/Rental Policy Covers Aquariums and Damage Done By Aquariums ?
- Thread starter Finatik
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Geicos renters covered me when my skimmer went crazy while on vacation, came home to a wet floor :/ they covered $1000 and made my landlord sign off that they were taking the liability from me in order to receive any $
I'm an insurance adjuster in NC. It can vary depending on your state, but here anybody's home owners insurance would cover the resulting damage from the aquarium, just not the aquarium itself. Contents coverage is usually covered by named perils, the aquarium would be considered contents. If the seals go bad, all the resulting water damage is covered but not the tank. Now if you had a fire that destroyed the aquarium, the tank and it's components would be covered, because fire is a peril insured against for contents. The livestock would not be afforded coverage.
Generally renters insurance will cover your personal property, like an aquarium if something like a fire occurred or a tree fell into the house and then damaged the tank, your general liability coverage could possibly be triggered and offer some coverage for the owner of the apartment or house you are renting.
Generally renters insurance will cover your personal property, like an aquarium if something like a fire occurred or a tree fell into the house and then damaged the tank, your general liability coverage could possibly be triggered and offer some coverage for the owner of the apartment or house you are renting.
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Finatik
FINatik about my Tanks !
Thanks @jwilliams860 ! Great info !
I assume this would apply to any insurance carrier I choose ? (Geico, Farmers, Progressive)
Generally speaking, yes, but again policies can differ from State to state and even carrier to carrier so you'll want to ask.
JaimeAdams
2500 Club Member
Yes, you will want to ask and from reading these threads over the years you most certainly NEED IT IN WRITING!!!
needbiggertanks
Well-Known Member
I just asked USAA on my new renters policy in Minnesota. They said i am covered if something actually broke the tank, but not if there was an equipment failure. So if a seem broke, they would not cover it but if a chair went through the glass they would.
That's correct, the tank itself would not be covered for a failed seam. The resulting damage would be covered.
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Finatik
FINatik about my Tanks !
Well "most" tank catastrophes occur due to equipment failure ... (seam breaks, glass cracks for some unknown reason, something overflows and floods out, etc.) so if those things are not covered, insurance really won't do me any good. That's disappointing.
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Finatik
FINatik about my Tanks !
And I'm not necessarily trying to cover the tank, I want the floors, carpet, walls and furniture that would potentially be damaged due to a tank failure and subsequent flood to be covered. If I live in an apartment, and my tank overflows, they are going to expect me to fix the damage and make it right. That's what I want covered.
chipmunkofdoom2
Always Making Something
I own in an apartment-style condo building and the way my policy is written, water damage from almost any source is covered. There are a few strange exceptions, but I'm surprised by how much my basic homeowner's policy will cover. This is just to my belongings and my property though. I don't believe the coverage would cover anything in adjacent units, as I don't believe I have an insurable interest in other peoples' property.
Yes, you should have coverage for that. I think they mean the specific equipment failure wouldn't be covered, like if the tank spring a leak or a pump failed and caused the leak, or the plumbing leaks. The failed equipment is never covered, the resulting damage is covered.
It's just like if a supply line to your bathroom sink ruptures. The $150 plumbing repair for the line isn't covered but the $20k in flooring, baseboard and drywall is covered.
It's just like if a supply line to your bathroom sink ruptures. The $150 plumbing repair for the line isn't covered but the $20k in flooring, baseboard and drywall is covered.
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Finatik
FINatik about my Tanks !
@chipmunkofdoom2...
I'm not so sure that's true.
I would think that if your tank caused damage to an adjacent unit - you'd be on the hook for that. Just like if a tree from your yard fell on your neighbors house - you'd be responsible for that.
I'm not so sure that's true.
I would think that if your tank caused damage to an adjacent unit - you'd be on the hook for that. Just like if a tree from your yard fell on your neighbors house - you'd be responsible for that.
You're mostly correct. If damage occurred to an adjacent unit, and that damage was caused by your negligence then your liability coverage could be triggered. Like if you were rubbing a bathtub and forgot and it overflowed, or you fell asleep smoking and caused a fire. Under most circumstances, like a pipe rupturing, it's considered a sudden occurrence and not caused by your negligence. Now if there was a leak and your neighbor noticed it on their side and they put you on notice and you fail to do anything about it, this could also trigger your liability coverage.
This is incorrect. The tree example is the best scenario. I tell people it always matters who's "stuff" is damaged. Everybody's homeowners policy insures the structure on the property and gives liability coverage for your negligence.
If mother nature decides to come through and blow a tree over it's nobody's fault and the homeowner of where the tree originated from usually isn't found liable. There is the rare case of a dead tree, now if you've put your neighbor on notice that you are concerned that it may fall and damage property on your side then they could possibly be considered negligent if they do nothing about it. Make sure you have a letter you send them and keep a copy.
So I'm the instance of a tank failure causing damage, if it happens suddenly and you are not aware of any issue , negligence would be very difficult to prove.
Usually in condos there are bylaws, and 90% of the time within the bylaws it has a no subrogation clause as well. Which means one condo owner cant go after another condo owner for damages they are not responsible for. Unless the unit owner was negligent. This verbage just translates into your damage is yours and mine is mine.
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Finatik
FINatik about my Tanks !
Hmm... That's hard to believe. Negligence or not, if one of my neighbors had a tank failure, and water came flooding down into my apartment and damaged my floors, walls and furniture - why should "my" insurance have to cover that when it was someone else's stuff that caused the damage ?
I will take your word for it since you're an agent, but something about that doesn't seem right.
Also, youd be surprised, we say we insure stupid all the time. So if you were on a ladder and tripped and fell into the aquarium and caused it to break and flood the house. All of that would be covered.
This is the general thought process but not how property insurance claims are handled. "your" insurance insures your personal property and your structure. "their" insurance covers their stuff. Only when negligence is the cause of the damage does it trigger "the other parties" liability insurance. Most people get hung up in the auto claim world, so If I hit your car my insurance pays and if you hit mine vice versa.
If your neighbors tank ruptures and floods, it is exactly what your policy is in place to protect you against, its no different then a pipe bursting in a shared wall, your damage is yours, and their damage is theirs. It is considered a "sudden occurrence" and they can not be found liable for something they had no control over.
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